4th June Cheese Day

Really, cheese day? 

Cheesemaking has been around since  ancient times as it is said to have started all the way back in 8,000 BC.  At present, cheese has made its presence known in almost every corner of the world as it can be served frosty, sweet, savoury, or even deep-fried.

Travellers from Asia are believed to have brought the art of cheesemaking to Europe. In fact, cheese was made in many parts of the Roman Empire when it was at its height. The Romans, in turn, introduced cheesemaking to England. During the Middle Ages-from the decline of the Roman Empire until the discovery of America-cheese was made and improved by the monks in the monasteries of Europe. For example, Gorgonzola was made in the Po Valley in Italy in 879 A.D., and Italy became the cheesemaking centre of Europe during the 10th Century. Roquefort was also mentioned in the ancient records of the monastery at Conques, France as early as 1070.

Can we celebrate cheese by reading picture books? Of course. These books feature cheese...

Some information books:

• From Cow to Cheese by Penelope Nelson

• Milk and Cheese  by Nancy Dickmann

Some picture books:

• I Don't Like Cheese by Hannah Chandler and Lauren Merrick

• Dinosaurs Love Cheese by Jackie French and Nina Rycroft

• Mack and the Missing Cheese by Chae Strathie and Nikki Dyson

• The Great Cheese Robbery  by Tim Warnes

• Horace and Morris Say Cheese by James Howe and Amy Walrod

• Cheese Belongs to You by Alexis Deacon and Viviane Schwarz

• Supermouse and the Big Cheese Robbery by M.N. Tahl and Mark Chambers

• The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith

Some short novels:

• Hamster and Cheese by Colleen Venable (book 1 in a fun series of graphic novels.

• Princess Pulveriser Grilled Cheese and Dragons by Nancy Krulik and Ben Balistreri

• Toto the Ninja Cat and the Incredible Cheese Heist by Dermot O'Leary and Nick East

•  Geronimo Stilton The Mysterious Cheese Thief  There are references to cheese through all the Geronimo Stilton tiles)

For fun think of all the times the word 'cheese' is used but does not mean the thing you eat.

Who is the Big Cheese? See the series of picture books by Elise Primavera and Diane Goode about Louise the Big Cheese.

'Say cheese!' See picture book by Frances Watts

'Like chalk and cheese' means...